The clearest concern at Fort Donelson isn't the weather — it's the surrounding community. Stewart County recorded a violent crime rate of 646.1 per 100,000 residents in 2023, which runs well above national averages and warrants real attention for anyone staying overnight near the park's campground along the Cumberland River.
Keep valuables locked in your vehicle or RV rather than left at a picnic table or tent, and choose a campsite with good sightlines to neighboring sites rather than an isolated spot at the far end of the loop. If you're arriving after dark, do a quick walk of your immediate area before settling in, and consider a portable door alarm for your RV or a cable lock threaded through tent zippers — small additions that meaningfully raise the effort required for opportunistic theft.
Top recorded hazards in Stewart County
County dataFrom NOAA Storm Events (2024). Counts of recorded incidents — not all occurred at this park.
- Hail 5
- Thunderstorm Wind 4
- Flash Flood 2
- Flood 1
- Funnel Cloud 1
Gear keyed to this park's risks
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About Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was becoming quite famous as he wrote these words following the surrender of Confederate Fort Donelson on Sunday, February 16, 1862. The Union victory at Fort Donelson elated the North, and stunned the South. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville would fall into Union hands. Grant and his troops had created a pathway to victory for the Union.
Weather
Fort Donelson National Battlefield traditionally experiences mild to moderate winters and hot summers with an average high of 90 degrees in the summer and 40 in winter; average lows in the winter are 30 degrees but single digits are not unusual. Rainfall in the area averages 53 inches a year with an additional 6 inches of ice/snow and violent thunderstorms can take place at any time of year.